Gone?
by EbonyWells
Summary: He sent her away; wouldn't let her come back. Carol was the closest one to him, and now she wasn't there. That wouldn't fly, not by him. He was going to find her. No her, no him.
1. Chapter 1

**Guys, I seriously watched the episode twice and drowned in my tears both times. No. No. Ugh. Well, this story is going to be how I think Daryl will react and what'll happen. **

**Hope You Enjoy!**

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Ringing.

A high pitched ringing was all he heard. Rick was still talking, his lips moving, but the ringing engulfed his voice and Daryl heard nothing he was saying. His vision of the former sheriff was becoming fuzzed, his lips moving slower and Daryl's heavy eyelids blinked multiple times. Then, all the shock wore off and all he saw was anger. Red. Before he even knew what he was doing, he pushed Rick angrily against the cement wall and got right in his face.

"Gone?!" He screamed. "What do ya mean fucking gone?!" Daryl bellowed right in the leaders face so loud he could feel himself shaking with anger. Rick swallowed hard, fear in his eyes for the first time in a long time.

"I sent her away. I didn't want her coming back." Rick's voice was still calm, despite the look on his face. Daryl felt his grip on the collar of his shirt tighten with anger as he picked him up and slammed his back against the wall once more. Hard. He would've smirked in satisfaction at the painful look on Rick's face is he wasn't completely filled with rage. He had gotten his temper under control a while ago, and the one person who had helped him, wasn't here anymore. Now he said to hell with is as he bellowed in Rick's face, again.

"Are ya fucking stupid?!" Daryl was more than aware that he had drawn a crowd of walkers and people, but he didn't care. Carol was gone. She was fucking gone. His heart ached at the words swirling around his head.

Gone. Gone. Gone.

Carol, she was gone. Because of Rick. Next thing he knew, he punched their leader right in the face. He didn't make a move to punch the hunter back. Daryl was stronger than he was, and Rick knew that. He went to punch him again when he felt hands on his shoulders, pulling him back forcefully. He turned and saw the hands belonged to Tyreese. He pushed the big man away and wiped tears away from his eyes, angrily. Carol was a valued member of the group and an important person to him; to Lizzie and Mica, too. And Rick decided to make the selfish decision to banish her, without even consulting anyone about it. He must've gone completely insane. Mental. He felt like a part of him was ripped away from him, that he wasn't whole anymore. The group was staring at him. The original five, well, two now that Carol was gone and Glenn was still in quarantine. Hershel and Maggie and the group he had just gotten back from a run with. Daryl had waited by the fucking gate for them to get back and Rick showed up without Carol. His heart had seemed to stop beating when Rick pulled up with the passenger seat empty. He was so stupid.

He cared for her more than anyone else; more than anyone he had ever cared for, really. And just like anybody he had ever loved, she was gone. Daryl loved her. He knew that he had loved her for a long time, but cowered away from the thought. He never told her how much he cared and loved her, and now she was gone; now he didn't have a chance. He was stupid for never telling her when he had a chance. There had been many chances; times when they would take watch together, when she came to see him in his cell when he had come back from leaving with Merle. Or the time when they were alone on top of a prison bus when they had first arrived. He could just never muster up the words. The memory if them that first night at the prison, on top of the bus had tears forming at the corner of his eyes as he remembered her smile; her laugh; her foolishness that night. Daryl shook his head and glared right at Rick.

"I'm goin' ta find 'er." And he was going that minute. He already had his crossbow shouldered and he was now making long strides to his motorcycle. He heard different pairs of feet follow him and he was able to identify them all by sound. Rick, Michonne, Bob, Tyreese and Hershel stared at him as he mounted his bike.

"You can't do that." Rick said, matter of factly.

"Fuck you." Daryl snarled. Like Rick could tell him what to do. That's when Rick dropped a bomb.

"I sent her away because," He sighed and looked down at his boots. "She killed Karen and David." It felt like someone just punched him right in the gut. Daryl felt his breaths stagger at the sudden words. He knew Carol and Carol wouldn't just kill. She must've had a reason. She wouldn't kill without an unjustified reason.

"She did what she had to do." Daryl stated, his eyes on Tyreese.

"I don't want her here." Tyreese said coldly and Daryl stood up from his bike.

"She's been with us a hell of a lot longer than ya have. Yer lucky we took yer asses in. I'd take Carol over any of y'all in an instant." He growled at the big black man. He knew he was being harsh, but he didn't care. He was hurt, angry, lost. He turned and glared back at Rick. "And if we was kicking people out because of humans they've killed, I think ya would be gone, too. You, yer boy, Michonne, Bob." His eyes flicked over to the man, who was looking down at his shoes and then back at Rick. "She ain't the only one who's killed. And she killed to protect yer sorry asses." He stalked back to his bike and revved it quickly.

"Daryl," Rick stood in front of the bike. "No one will want her here."

"Who? Who wont want her here? Them fucking Woodbury folk? We took their asses in; they're in our home. Carol is family. They can get over it. And if they have a problem with it, they can get the hell out and try their chances out there on their own." He revved the bike once more, but Rick didn't move.

"You can't bring her back here." Daryl grunted and revved again.

"No her; no me." He remembered using the same kind of words when Rick wouldn't let Merle go back to the prison. Rick must've seen there was no changing Daryl's mind. "If I don't come back, I'm either dead, or I found her." Rick stepped out of the way and actually opened the gate for him. Daryl looked back at the group. "Make sure them people get those meds." His tone softened with those words and then he was taking off down the dirt road.

_I'll find ya, Carol. _He thought to himself.

He just hoped he'd find her, and not something that was simply an empty, rotting shell of the person she once was.

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**I know it was kind of short, but don't worry, this is only the first chapter. So, I know Daryl may seem a bit OOC, but think about it. Carol and him have a special relationship, different from the rest of them there. Losing her would make him feel rage, sadness, loss. It kind of makes someone go looney. Well, I hope you guys liked this! Review and let me know!**

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope some of you are liking this and like this chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

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She yanked her knife out of the countless walkers' skull and wiped the blood off on her pants.

Carol had been by herself for not even a full day, but it had felt like a lifetime. She was scouting out a store she had found in a little town in Georgia that she had never even known existed; but not many Walkers were there, so that was the nice part about it. She wrapped her fingers around the brass knuckle grip, knowing fully well it was making imprints in her hands. It was the last thing Daryl had ever given her; it was all she had left of him. Rick had sent her off on her own and the first people she thought about was Lizzie, Mica and Daryl. She couldn't stand the thought of leaving them, but Rick hadn't given her much choice. He locked her out of the damn car for God sake. He gave her some supplies, gas and said see ya. He said she'd find others, but she didn't want others. She wanted her family, back at the prison. She wanted Judith and Daryl; Beth and Maggie. She wanted them all and she wanted them to be together and happy.

Naive thoughts, that's all they were. Needle in a haystack chance. She knew she was more than capable of surviving out here on her own, and that was what she was planning on doing. She didn't want another group. She didn't want to get close to anyone else because that would just remind her of the family back at the prison; back home. Home. Home where she was never allowed back. Home where according to Rick, no one wanted her there. Home where the children were; her girls. She knew how hard it was going to be for Lizzie and Mica, the older girl especially, but there wasn't anything she could do. He was right. Lizzie was sick and Mica was ten. Carol might've been able to survive out there on her own, but not with Lizzie and Mica with her. She just hoped that Daryl had gotten those meds and that he'd take care of the girls. She hoped the sickness stopped and that they'd survive, conquer the world with courage and not cowering in fear. No longer being afraid. Lizzie might've been the older one, but Mica seemed more mature than her, more able to handle herself better than her. She thought back to the day where she had brought the girls to see their dying father.

"Take care of your sister." His words echoed in her mind and at the time, Carol thought he was talking to Lizzie, but it now occurred to her that he was talking to Mica, telling her to take care of Lizzie and that was proven when she had a panic attack, and Mica told her to look at the flowers and count to three while Carol did what she had to. Another thing that Ryan said danced through her mind.

"Can you take care of them? Like they're your own?" She hadn't hesitated. She told him, promised him, that she'd take care of them. And now she was breaking her promise because she wasn't there anymore. She didn't know what was going on at the prison right now, she didn't know what was happening with them. Carol wiped fresh tears away from her eyes as she continued walking through the store.

She had lost her girls; all of her girls. Sophia, she lost Sophia a long time ago. But now, she had lost Lizzie and Mica. They hadn't died like Sophia had, but she abandoned them; she wasn't at the prison anymore taking care of them and she had lost them. She was no longer with them. She just hoped that her words had stuck with Lizzie. She remembered when she had spoken to her just that morning. She went to see her because there was a small part of her that knew that there was a chance that Rick wasn't letting her back, but she had chosen to ignore it. It was kind of her way to say goodbye to Lizzie, without coming out and saying it; she just had to know the girl knew what to do in danger and that she was strong and to not be afraid. Carol hoped she had taken in all the information and locked it away. She hoped her girls would be okay.

She loathed Rick. She loathed him for forcing her away from her family, when she had been more open with him in those few hours on the run than she had the years they were together, and not even letting her say goodbye to them when all she had been trying to do was protect them. Karen and David were sick, they were going to die, drown in their own blood and all she did was help them, ended it quicker. She burned the bodies to try and stop the infection from spreading because she had Lizzie and Mica to think about; she had Daryl and Judith to think about. She had her family to think about. But at the same time, she knew Rick was right. Tyreese would kill her. She saw what had happened when her, Rick, Daryl and Tyreese were surrounding the bodies, so who knows what Tyreese would've done if it was just her and him. He would've killed her. But she could've handled him. She told Rick he didn't have to tell anyone, but she knew that he did; that he would. He was their leader and he wouldn't have kept it from them. She just hoped they wouldn't hate her. She really hoped that Daryl wouldn't hate her. She hoped that this wouldn't cause Daryl grief and that he'd keep his level head that he learned so well over the years. The group needed him to stay calm; the group needed him. He kept them fed, protected and healthy. They needed him.

But she needed him, too. He had grown so close to her over the time they had been together. Sure, everyone in the group was close with each other, but her and Daryl had a different relationship. He was an outsider, everyone looked at him like he was nothing but redneck trash and at a point, she was on their side. Then he stepped up, on that highway, at the farm, going out and looking for her little girl; a little girl he barely knew and even though she was found, turned, in the barn, she was forever grateful for his effort, his dedication for a girl and woman he barely knew the first names of. Then the prison. He was there, always. Always stepping up to the highest calling, getting done what needed to be done. He wasn't the socially awkward, ill-tempered redneck they had all first met at the quarry, he was a dedicated and important member and even though he still didn't enjoy being touched, he talked more than he did. And he seemed a bit more open with her than anyone else in the group; letting her hug him occasionally and he always stood close to her. He opened his doors a little more to her than he did the others and she felt honored. But none of that mattered anymore because that was then and this was now.

Now she was scouting through a rundown store, hoping to find something to eat. Maybe some stale crackers and piss warm water if she was lucky. She couldn't help but smirk when she thought about how Daryl always complained about the other woman's cooking.

"Dammit, Carol, can you please quit bein' sick now?" He had shown up to her cell one day where she laid in bed, a massive migraine occupying her thoughts. She sat up slightly on the bottom bunk and squinted at the pain that shot through her with that slight move.

"What? What's wrong?" She asked through squinted eyes.

"Them damn woman can't cook fer shit." He growled and Carol shook her head, laying it gently back on the pillow.

"And here I thought you were actually concerned for my well-being and wanted me to get well soon." She exasperated and she heard him chuckle.

"Course I care fer yer well-bein', woman. But I care fer mine, too and I don' want to get no food poisoning cause the only thing them woman know how to cook is burnt meat and overcooked oatmeal."

The memory was still clear as day and she thought briefly about how devastated he'd be that all he'd be eating from now on _was _burnt meat and overcooked oatmeal. She needed to get rid of these memories, let go. She knew all they would cause her was hurt and loneliness, but she wanted to hold on to them; she wanted to remember.

A rummaging in the office of the store had her gripping her brass knuckle grip tighter and she slowly walked over to the door. She tried peeking in the window, but it was to dusty and dirty for her to see. All she could make out was three silhouettes. Alright, three walkers. She could handle this. She would've just let it be, but it was a decent sized office and she was looking for somewhere to hole down for the night. Being in an office with a wooden door was better than playing bait in the middle of a store with automatic opening doors. Carol set her hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath before opening the door quickly, her knife held in her left hand high above her head and ready to attack. You couldn't imagine her surprise when one of the Walkers pulled a gun on her and demanded her to drop the knife. She blinked in shock and dropped her arm to her side, putting her knife in her carrier. No way in hell she was putting it on the ground. She studied the three people. They were all men and she didn't know whether to feel relieved over that matter or to be scared out of her wits. The man put his gun down in front of his crossed legs once she put her knife away, but none of them made a move to stand up. It was a latino man, a black man and another man, the man who drew his weapon on her, had the biggest brown beard she'd ever seen. They looked shaggy and dirty; gross and restless. They appeared to have been held up in that office for a while. The man who drew his gun spoke first.

"Who are you?" His voice was gruff and despite his unruly appearance, his voice was calm.

"I was just looking for a place to stay. My name's Carol." And as if it was some proper meeting of acquaintances, Carol stuck her hand out to the gruff man who was sitting on the floor. He stood up, that was when she realized he towered over her, and shook her hand with a firm grip.

"Well, Carol. I apologize for sticking a gun in your face, you just startled us for a moment." He let go of her hand. "I'm Philip. This is Martinez and Shumpert. We've been holed up in here a while." The two men nodded at her and she nodded in return. "You look like you've been taken care of well." Philip said as his eyes raked up and down. "You got a group?" Carol thought about her answer briefly and decided not to tell them about the family she just left.

"No," She lied. "I've been driving from place to place; scavenging what I could and cleaning myself up whenever I could. I saw this store and I thought it looked decent." She shrugged and tried keeping her best poker face, hoping they didn't realize she was lying. It seemed to work because Philip nodded and sat down, motioning for her to sit with him. She didn't move to sit next to him, so she sat across from him, still in front of the open door.

"How long have you been on your own?" It looked like he had his own version of Rick's 'three questions'.

"I was with my husband and daughter in the beginning, I lost them both."

"I'm sorry." Philip said with a sympathetic look on his face. Carol waved her hand slightly and shook her head.

"It's alright. But since then, I've been on my own. That was nearly two years ago." She could feel herself give out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding at the realization. Almost two years since Sophia died.

"Have you killed?" This was similar to Rick's question, but he wasn't as specific.

"I've killed, yes. To protect myself." She answered honestly.

"Biters or humans?"

"Both." Carol could hear the coldness in her voice, but maybe this would show them that she was not a force to be reckoned with. She had a feeling from the looks on the other two mens faces that they thought she was vulnerable and an easy target and she was going to make sure they knew otherwise. Philip only nodded at her answer.

"Well Carol, you wont understand how nice it is to see a fresh, pretty face like yours." Could she go barf now? "Were you looking to stay here?" She nodded.

"I was. But I didn't realize it was already occupied." Philip shook his head and chuckled.

"Nonsense. You seem capable of pulling your own weight and you seem like someone who would be nice to have around. There's sleeping bags in the other end of the store and you could sleep over there, if you wanted." He pointed to the other end of the room and after some thought, Carol nodded.

"Alright." She answered before standing up and walking to get herself a sleeping bag. Normally she wouldn't of been this easy to convince to stay with strangers, but normally she wasn't with strangers. She didn't have much of a choice anyway. It was getting dark out and she was running low on gas. Staying here one night with these men wasn't going to do her any harm. Carol found the sleeping bag and quickly returned to the office; going over to the spot that Philip told her she could sleep and laid the sleeping bag out on the floor without giving any of them a second look.

The sun went down completely and she laid on her side, back facing them as she stared at the wall, hoping sleep would take over.

What she wouldn't give for her bunk back at the prison.

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The arrow fired with a twang and the walkers body dropped to the hardwood floor.

It wasn't Carol, that was all that mattered. Daryl still found himself studying the body as he pulled the arrow out of its skull. It looked like a young boy; maybe no older than twenty. He had a patch on his shoulder and the tank-top he wore was ripped and matted. Under the dirt and blood he could see the sparkling silver of a watch on his wrist. Damn boy found jewelry, even at the end of the world. He found himself scoffing as he bit down gently on the end of the flashlight his teeth were gripping as he loaded an arrow back into his crossbow. He hadn't gotten much information from Rick, probably because he was to busy being pissed the hell off, but he knew they had gone out for food and Rick had been talking about this little town for a while and he figured this was where they had gone. He had seen fresh tire tracks in the front lawn of this house and decided this was his best shot so far. He scoped out the house and other than the walker he had shot when he first walked in, it was empty. He cursed and in his frustration, he kicked the wall so hard that his foot went straight through the drywall. Daryl slipped onto his ass, his foot still caught in the wall and his head hit the floor hard. He groaned as he set his hand behind his head and rubbed on the sore spot. He yanked his foot out of the wall and stood up, balancing himself until he stopped stumbling. Daryl quickly picked up his crossbow and stormed back outside and to his bike. It was getting dark quickly and he was losing time. He needed to find Carol, he _needed _to. Rick had banished Merle, one of the closest people to him and now he was six feet under and if that happened to Carol, if he found her turned, he wouldn't be able to live anymore. When Merle died, he had her to talk to about it, even though he solemnly did. But if she was a Walker, he'd have nothing; no one. He had already gone through thinking she was dead and turned when she was lost in the tombs, when he had to build up courage to open that damn door that kept weakly opening and closing, just enough so he couldn't see, but he had been certain it was her Walker in there and that he'd have to end it with her knife in his hand. The thought terrified him then and even now it made him shudder. He wasn't letting Carol die and turn. He knew she was smarter than that, anyway and he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself. But he still needed her. He was finding her, he was taking her back to the prison and anyone who had a problem with that could kiss his ass. If Tyreese even thought about laying a finger on her, he'd kill him. Carol, _his _Carol wouldn't kill out of cold blood. She was trying to protect the group and because of her efforts, she had gotten banished and it was absolute bullshit. Rick Grimes wasn't going to take away someone he cared about again and he was never looking at that man like their leader or his brother ever, _ever _again. He was pretty much dead to him.

Daryl looked down the road and squinted his eyes. Looking for tracks on tar was a lot more difficult than looking for tracks in the grass or dirt, but he could see rolled over dirt from tires and the faint, wet imprint of tire tracks and they were fresh. This was his best chance of finding Carol, so he mounted his bike, revved the engine quickly and followed the tracks. They made a small turn and then went straight, the complete opposite way that he had come from. There was no positive way that these were Carol's tire tracks, but he had to hope. He was never much of a praying man, but as Daryl made his way down the road as the Georgia sun set, he prayed to God that these were the tire tracks that would lead him to Carol and that'd she'd be okay.

He just prayed.

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**So, this is what I think is going to happen. I think Carol is going to find the Governor and because they never actually met and she only heard him referred to as 'Governor' so it would work out perfectly like this. I'm going to continue this story no matter what happens in the show and I hope someone out there is liking this. New chapter soon! Feedback is great :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Man, that episode! It was intense, but I was ****_very _****upset we didn't get to see Daryl's reaction. Why can't the writers ever just give us what we want? Well, at least us Carylers have this website and our computers to type our Caryl hopes and dreams! Hehe. Well, hope some of you enjoy this chapter! Not my greatest, but things are starting to heat up! Good news, I already have Chapter Four done, so maybe I'll post that later today, depending on how generous I feel ;)**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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The sun had shone through the single window in the office. Carol felt warmth pooling onto her and wearily opened her eyes.

For a moment, she forgot where she was. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the heels of her hands and slowly sat up. She looked around and saw two sleeping men in the corner. The third one, Philip as she recalled, was no where in sight. This made her stomach feel uneasy and she quickly stood up. That man had given her a weird feeling ever since she had met him and for all she knew he could have been scavenging through her car and supplies. She told herself she'd stay one night and that was it. Carol found it odd though that she had slept through the sunrise. She was always up before the sun came out before. She must've been really tired.

She quietly walked out of the office, making sure not to alarm the sleeping men. She didn't bother gathering more supplies as she walked by the aisles; she just wanted to get the hell out of there. In her rush, she wasn't paying attention and ran into someone- or something- she wasn't sure if it was a person or walker because she screamed at the sudden run in. A hand covered her mouth and her eyes widened. Philip. She quickly stopped screaming, but felt as if she should be more afraid of him than Walkers. He studied her and slowly took his hand away. Now that sunlight was out, she had a better view of him. His hair was knotted and messy, over grown. His skin was dirty with mud and what appeared to be dried on blood. The one thing that made Carol's breath hitch in her throat was the eyepatch he wore. How had she not noticed it before? A dawning realization came over her.

This was the prisons enemy. This was The Governor. How had she not realized this last night? Daryl had said in the commons room when Andrea visited that he'd take out Philip's other eye. This was who they were so scared of for so long. The man who killed Merle, Andrea, Axel. The man who caused Daryl so much grief; who violated and embarrassed Maggie. The man who was the devil himself and she had been sleeping in the same room with him. Her thought process must've shown on her face and how shocked she was because The Governor tilted his head and spoke.

"Are you alright, Carol?" She nodded quickly, trying to put on her best poker face.

"Fine, just, heading out now." She went to step around him but he grabbed ahold of her wrist. His grip actually caused her to flinch and she mentally cursed herself for doing so. Men didn't control her anymore and she shouldn't cower in fear over anything they did to her. But the way he grabbed her caused memories of Ed that she had buried deep down to resurface. They only lasted for a second, but it was long enough for her to flinch and he seemed to be satisfied by it. He didn't let it show much, but she saw it.

"Aw, come on. You're not going to stay?" Carol only shook her head and moved to pull away, only causing him to grip her wrist tighter. "Are you sure you'll be alright out there? By yourself?" Carol nodded quickly and he let go of her wrist.

"I've been alone this whole time and I've been surviving just fine. Thanks for letting me spend the night." And with that she was out the door. She quickly walked over to her car in the parking lot and jumped into the drivers seat. Whether Rick wanted her there or not, she was going to go warn them The Governor was still out there. They were still her family, even if she wasn't there. Carol quickly put the key in the ignition and turned the key for it to start, only for silence to come back to her. The only sound was the clicking the key made in the ignition as she frantically turned the key for the car to start. This was just her luck; she finds out The Governor was still out there and her car decides to die. Carol frantically got out of the car and looked under the hood of the car and gasped out loud at what she saw.

The battery was gone.

Someone had taken out the battery and she had a pretty good idea of who did it. Carol barely had time to register any of this when she felt a strong grip on her upper arm and another hand came around to cover her mouth. She struggled immediately and kicked behind her, hitting his shin hard and was slammed against the car, her face slamming against the hood. She screamed and kept trying to free herself when something was slammed against the back of her head and everything went black.

* * *

He was on her trail, he could feel it.

Daryl had found a rundown ice cream parlor, of all places, to stay the night. He was in a quiet town that he was more than familiar with. It was his hometown. This was where he had grown up and much to his surprise, it had been pretty much empty. Which meant either very little people had died here or there was a huge herd of Walkers hiding out and waiting to get the jump on him. He cursed himself when he had woken up and the sun was already high up. He needed to get his ass in gear if he wanted even a slight chance of finding Carol. His dumbass didn't hurry up and leave the parlor once he woke up, though. He took the time to study the place a little. He had been here once, a long, long time ago when he was a young boy and he had been fascinated with the place. He took a few moments to study the pictures hanging on the wall behind the counter. One caught his eye very quickly and he picked it up in his hand. This was a picture of Carol.

She was young, a teenager probably. She had bouncy red curls and the same gorgeous blue eyes that she had now. She was sitting at the table, licking at an ice cream cone and there was a man sitting across from her, who Daryl guessed was Ed. She was smiling, hell, even Ed was smiling. They looked really happy together and if Daryl didn't know how they turned out, he would've guessed they got happily married and had children together. But that wasn't how it had ended. Daryl set his crossbow down on the counter and gripped each end of the picture with a hand. He gently ripped at the picture, making sure not to rip Carol. He ripped Ed right out of the picture until he was left with just her happy, smiling, beautiful teenage self. He dropped the half with Ed on it to the floor and stomped on it, moving his foot as if he was putting out a cigarette. He gently put the half with Carol on it in his pocket and grabbed his crossbow off of the counter before walking out the door.

Daryl was going to show this picture to Carol when he found her. And he _was _going to find her. There was no if's, and's or but's about it, he would find Carol. Now whether it was his Carol, or a turned Carol, it didn't matter; he'd find her. If it was his Carol, he'd be overjoyed and he'd tell her how much he cared, how much he loved her. Even if he was scared, he'd do it because losing her scared him more than declaring his feelings for her. But if it was a turned Carol, he didn't know what he'd do. He'd probably break down like he did when he found the Walker of his brother, but he had a feeling it'd be worse. Just thinking about having to put her down made his heart ache and Daryl realized that if he did find her turned, he might not be able to put her down; he might not be able to end her reanimated stage. He might freeze up and then she could tackle him, bite him, eat him. The thought caused Daryl to shudder and he shook his head as he approached his bike.

It'd be cruel to leave her as a Walker. He'd have no choice but to end it for her. It'd be the humane thing to do. Either way he found her, he'd show her the picture.

Daryl's stomach growled in hunger and that was when he realized he was on too much of a blind rage to pack any fucking supplies. God, he was such an idiot sometimes. The ice cream parlor didn't have anything and he looked around the deserted area that was once his town. Buildings were ransacked, destroyed. Some were burnt down to nothing. That's when Daryl remembered a grocery store not far from where he was standing. It was close enough for him to walk, but he didn't want to leave his motorcycle out in the open. He moved the kickstand with his foot and walked the bike into the parlor. Once that was taken care of, he started walking down the road, crossbow ahead of him.

It didn't take him long to reach the store and he decided to go in the back way, so he could have an advantage on anything that tried jumping out on him. Crossbow held high, he opened the back door with one hand and kept his other hand on the trigger of the crossbow. Nothing jumped out at him. In fact, there were dead Walker bodies spread across the floor. Someone had been here before him and it looked like they had used a knife. Carol was always armed with the knife he had given her, and a spark of hope went through him.

Maybe she was here.

But then again, maybe she wasn't. Anyone could've had a knife and killed these Walkers. He didn't let his hopes get too high, but he still held onto a little bit of that hope. He lowered his crossbow once he knew the coast was clear and immediately went over to an aisle filled with boxes of crackers and dry cereal. It wouldn't have been much before, but nowadays a full box of stale crackers was like a four-course meal. Daryl opened the box and turned it up, letting the crackers fall out of the box and into his mouth. He knew he looked like a fucking animal, but it wasn't like there was anyone to see him acting like this. He continued this routine until the box was empty. He wiped the crumbs away from his mouth with the back of his hand as he looked around the seemingly deserted store.

Daryl studied the Walker bodies a little closer and saw that there was black blood pooling around most of their heads, and it still looked fresh. Someone _was _here. He heard rustling towards the back of the store and crouched down, holding the crossbow up in his hands. He walked quickly, staying in the crouched position and followed the direction from where the sound had come from. He didn't see anything as he continued quietly walking. He didn't see a person, or a Walker and so he stood up finally. That's when he saw an office towards the back of the store. Daryl walked up to the window, but couldn't see anything. It was black and it appeared as if something was put over to window to make sure no one was looking in, or out. He approached the wooden door and went to put his hand on the doorknob. Maybe Carol had sheltered herself in here. Just maybe. He had just placed his hand on the knob and was about to open the door when he heard the cocking of a gun.

"Put the weapon down, son." A male voice behind him said, but Daryl didn't make a move. That was until he felt the barrel of the gun on the back of his head. "Now." The voice was more stern this time and Daryl slowly crouched down and placed his beloved crossbow on the ground. The cold metal of the gun was no longer on his head, but the man was still behind him. "Hands on your head." Daryl did as he was told and placed his hands where the gun had been, just a moment ago. He felt his wrist being bound with something, but he didn't struggle. Maybe this son of a bitch had Carol. "Turn around." The voice demanded and Daryl mumbled under his breath as he slowly turned around to be greeted with the barrel of a gun in his face. That wasn't what nearly scared the shit out of him; it was the man holding the gun. Daryl recognized him immediately.

The Governor.

"Well, isn't this interesting." He chuckled and surprisingly lowered the gun from his face. "Daryl Dixon, nice seeing you, again." His remark was snide and sarcastic. "I heard about Merle, and I'm awful sorry for your loss." Daryl gritted his teeth and clenched his bound fists behind his back, but he didn't make a move. "This is very interesting, actually. Very interesting." There was a tone to his voice that made Daryl want to shudder, but he stayed still as stone. Daryl studied the man and saw scratches on his right cheek, three going across his face, vertically. They looked fresh. "Shumpert! Martinez! Come out here a moment." The Governor shouted to the air and soon two men came out of the office door that he had just been looking in. He didn't turn around to face the men and shortly after exiting through the office, they stood beside The Governor, one on each side of the man. They seemed to recognize him immediately and the mexican smirked.

"Merle's brother? Well, damn, this is just an eventful day." The Governor put an annoyed hand up to cut him off and took a step closer to Daryl.

"What do you think we should do with him, boys?" The Governor asked and the two men didn't seem to put much thought into it.

"Kill him." They both said at the same time and The Governor nodded, raising his gun.

"I was thinking the same thing." He pressed the tip of the barrel to Daryl's forehead and Daryl closed his eyes tightly. He wasn't scared to die, but him dying meant letting Carol down. "Any last words, son?" He asked.

"I'm sorry." Was the first thing that came to his mind and he said it without even thinking. The gun cocked and Daryl squeezed his eyes tighter as he waited for it all to end. He had a million and one thoughts going through his mind and most of them involved Carol and how this was going to affect her.

His thoughts came to a sudden halt, but it wasn't because of a gunshot, it was because of a sobbing voice.

"No!" The all to familiar voiced screeched through the silence and Daryl quickly opened his eyes and turned around, ignoring the fact that he had a gun pointed at his face. And there she was. A shaking, fearful Carol who was tied to a chair. This wasn't the way he remembered Carol. His Carol was strong, a fighter. He hadn't seen her this scared and vulnerable since Ed was alive and it nearly broke his heart. She was bound to a chair, rope wrapping around her legs and her hands were tied behind the chair. She looked weary and tired and it looked they had hit her; her right eye was black and blue. That pissed Daryl off, and then he saw something that truly made his blood boil.

She was shirtless.

Her chest was completely bare, as a matter of fact. He looked down for just a split second then looked back up in her eyes, quickly. They were shining with tears and she looked lost. They were pleading with him to do something and it made him feel helpless that he couldn't. He couldn't help her without the possibility of them gunning him down, and he couldn't even imagine what she'd been through already; he wasn't going to have her witness him getting shot down. Once he couldn't bear to look at her sniveling face any longer, he turned to face the men and snarled.

"Ye son of a bitch!" He shouted, but was smart enough not to make a move towards him, speaking that he had a loaded gun and all. Philip only chuckled slightly and placed his hands on his hips.

"She's a tough one over there; wouldn't tell us anything." He stepped closer to Daryl. "She important to you?" Daryl growled in his face.

"Go to hell." He only smirked and placed the tip of the barrel under Daryl's chin.

"You know, when someone asks you a question, it's polite to answer." He pushed the gun deeper into his skin. "Is she, important, to you?" He asked more slowly and this time, Daryl nodded. He didn't look satisfied. "Tell me: yes, or no? Could I kill her now, put a bullet in her head and you wouldn't care?"

"No," Daryl quickly said. "I would care. She is important to me." He hated giving The Governor the satisfaction he wanted, but he couldn't let him kill Carol. Philip smirked and took the gun away from under his chin before pushing him backwards into the office that Carol was in. Daryl stumbled back and fell on his ass, right in front of the chair Carol was in. The black guy, who had been standing on the right side of Philip picked up Daryl's crossbow off of the ground and smirked.

"Feels nice to hold this thing, again." He tested the weight of the crossbow in one hand and smirked. Daryl glared at him, but kept his mouth shut. His eyes flicked to The Governor once he began to talk.

"We'll talk about it and figure out what we want to do with the two of you." He took a step into the room and set his hand on the doorknob and looked like he was about to close the door when an evil smile broke across his face and he walked past Daryl, over to Carol. He stood behind the wooden chair and leaned down so his head was beside hers. Daryl watched with terrified eyes as a hand came around and crept up her stomach and stopped on her chest. Daryl was shouting once Philip started groping her.

"I'll fucking kill ya, ye hear me?!" He tried standing up, but he couldn't push himself up with his hands. "Get yer filthy hands away from her!" Philip seemed unfazed and continued, now biting at her ear. Daryl tried standing up again frantically, and managed halfway before falling on his ass. "Don' touch her!" He screamed at Philip who stopped with the perverted act and took out Carol's knife that he had slid into his left boot.

No.

He was going to stab Carol, right in front of him. He thought he was about to see the person he cared most for in the world die; so you could imagine his surprise when the knife went to the ropes around her legs and cut the knot. Carol moved her legs a little, seemingly uncomfortable. The Governor slid the knife back into his boot and walked back over to the door. He turned slightly and put his hand on the doorknob and started closing the door. He stopped when there was just enough room for his head to peek in the room.

"Enjoy the view." He smirked, looking straight at Daryl. He closed the door and locked it from the outside. Daryl looked around the room and made sure his eyes didn't land on Carol. He couldn't stand to look at her like this.

"Daryl?" Her voice was cracked and dry. Even though he didn't want to, he looked at her. Her legs were now crossed up onto the wooden chair she was tied to, just a moment ago. The ropes from her legs lay in a pile around the chair, but her wrists were still bound behind the chair. "Are you okay?" She tilted her head. Daryl couldn't help but give out a petty scoff. There she sat before him, tied up, exposed, and she was asking _him _if he was okay.

"I'm fine." He responded. He inhaled sharply before asking his next question. "Did they..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. A lump formed in his throat at what she might say in response. She seemed to know what he was talking about.

"Rape me?" He nodded slowly. "No. They didn't." His eyes raked up and down her arms and he saw there were multiple bruises and even fingerprints from where they gripped her arm to hard. He gritted his teeth and when his eyes went back to her face, he saw blood trickling down the side of her face.

"Yer bleedin'." He positioned himself to his knees and scooted over as much as he could to her.

"He hit me on the back of the head with his gun. I'm okay, though." She reassured him, but it didn't bring him any comfort. They were silent after that and Daryl made sure to keep his view above her chest. He didn't feel right eying her like that. He saw her shoulders shake and her teeth were chattering.

"I'm gonna get us out of 'ere." He knew he wasn't going to be able to do anything, but he had to create some kind of hope. He looked around the room and he gritted his teeth so hard he was sure he would break his jaw.

On the wall, hung her bra and shirt, as if it was some kind mimicking item. It was in her gaze and the articles of clothing hung there, mocking her because she knew she couldn't get up and put them back on. They were there making her feel more exposed than she must've already felt. That son of a bitch.

Daryl vowed that he was going to get them the hell out of there and he was going to kill Philip and his men.

Slowly.


	4. Chapter 4

**This is my longest chapter so far! 4,000+ words even without the author notes. I hope some of you out there are liking this story. I'm always so nervous when I post chapters for this story, and I'm not entirely sure why. I was able to fly through this chapter, so I hope it's good for you guys!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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Carol had goosebumps spreading out down her arms, the small bumps raking down her chest and stomach and she could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

She was freezing. Her teeth were chattering and she felt entirely exposed. To make matters worse, Daryl was in here with her, her half-naked; not by choice. She knew he was uncomfortable but his eyes never lingered. Any other time she would've been excited to see him, but in a matter like this it was probably the worst scenario possible. He was unhinged, she could tell. He looked frantic and nervous; upset and hurt. She knew it was because of how she looked. Her right eye was throbbing and the familiar sting of a bruised eye lingered. Her arms were sore from how they had handled her and she felt gross and dirty with the way The Governor had handled her before he left. Her throat was dry and her eyes still shone with tears, threatening to spill over.

Her legs were free now, but her wrists still burned from the rope. She had been in that goddamned chair basically all day and her body felt stiff. She tried to move her legs to get the blood circulation going again, but it was too painful. Warmness trickled down her ear to the side of her face and she felt more blood trickle down through her hair, down her neck and continuing all the way down her spine. She could still feel the skin from Philips cheek under her fingernails. She had woken up from being knocked out and he was dragging her body inside the office. She reacted immediately and started struggling. Carol had actually gotten out of his grip and turned to face him and scratched his cheek. She thought she was good once he winced and she was able to turn around and run, but he quickly grabbed her wrist and slapped her.

Now she was tied to a wooden chair while Daryl shuffled around on his knees, looking for some sort of way out. Her gaze was on her shirt and bra that hung on the wall right in front of her. She knew this was all set up purposely, to make her feel more naked; exposed. She felt herself shiver more as she stared at her articles of clothing. She jumped suddenly when she heard a loud crash coming from her right. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Daryl kick his foot against the wall, frustrated.

"Daryl," She said quietly, but he didn't turn to face her. He kicked the wall once again with such great force that the room shook a bit. "Daryl, the wall is cement. You're not going to make a hole." Some of the dry wall covering crumbled under the force of his boot and the cement wall under it shown. Daryl cursed out loud and kicked a metal filing cabinet in anger. Carol flinched and looked down.

"Goddammit." He huffed out in an angry breath and started scooting back over on his knees. He sat on the left side of the chair and was breathing angrily. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, but didn't make an effort to turn her head fully and look at him. He started shifting in his spot and she finally actually looked at him. "Carol," He started. "I got somethin' fer ya in my left pocket, but my hands are bound and I can't get it." He motioned his head to his left pants pocket and Carol raised her eyebrows.

"My hands are bound, too." He looked down at her feet.

"Yer feet are bare. Ya could grab it wit' yer toes." He scooted around to in front of her and sat down, his pocket with whatever the item was inside under her foot. "Go 'head." She bit her lip slightly and stuck her toe in his pocket. She felt some kind of paper or something and slid it up until the top was sticking out of his pocket slightly. It was enough for her to be able to grab with her other toes and she pulled it up into her lap.

Carol nearly gasped out loud when she saw what it was. It was a picture, a ripped picture, but the unripped side was her teenage self. She knew that Ed was who was ripped out of the picture cause she could remember the day at the ice cream parlor now that she saw this picture. She had thought she didn't know this town, but she remembered the ice cream parlor at the end of town that her and Ed had traveled to one day. It had been a nice day and they were driving around, just exploring and he decided to treat her to an ice cream on the hot Georgia day. It had been fairly early in their relationship and he hadn't laid a harming hand on her yet. The girl in the picture was smiling happily and Carol couldn't help but feel bad at how naive the young girl in the picture was. She had thought she had found a good guy and that they would be happy and someday raise a family. But that wasn't how it had turned out at all.

"Goodness," She chuckled. "I look so young." She smiled down at the picture and could feel Daryl's eyes on her. They weren't on her chest, her nakedness, they were on her smiling face. "How'd you even find this?" She finally looked up at him and he was staring right into her eyes.

"I had ta hole up in th' ice cream parlor. I was lookin' 'round 'n I saw tha' picture on the wall. I thought tha' it'd be somethin' nice fer ya to see when I found ya." She noticed him blush a little and she couldn't help but smile some more.

"Well, that was sweet of you Daryl. Thank you." He blushed some more and only nodded in response. They didn't say anything for a while longer. She was the one to break the silence. "You came looking for me?" Another nod. "Why?" She knew that her and Daryl had a special relationship than the rest of the others, but she never really expected him to come out for her. He looked at her like she was stupid when she asked that question.

"Why?" He scoffed. "Why wouldn't I? It wasn't Rick's decision."

"I killed two of our own, Daryl. He was just doing what he thought was right." He shook his head quickly.

"No, he was makin' a selfish decision. He was takin' a break, playing th' role of farmer and then suddenly he decides to be our leader again? Tha' ain't how it works, Carol. He don' get to make decisions fer us all whenever he pleases." Carol knew that Daryl thought he had done the right thing by coming out to find her, but now that he had found her, what good had it done? Now they were both being held captive by The Governor and things back at the prison were probably falling apart without him there. The group absolutely needed him, but they didn't really need her. The group wasn't going to fall apart without her there, but it surely would if he was here with her, tied up in some goddamn office. She knew she should've been thankful, and she was thankful, but now she was starting to get angry. It was her fault he was away from their family; her fault that he was now being held hostage by the very man who killed his brother. It was her fault, and now he was probably going to kill them both.

"You shouldn't have come for me." Her words were quiet, but stern. The look he gave her next was a look of hurt and disbelief and it had her looking away from him.

"Th' hell you say?"

"You shouldn't have come for me, Daryl. You just, shouldn't have." She was looking up at him now and it looked as though his face was changing into a mask of anger. "The group needs you. They do. Judith needs you, Lizzie needs you. They're nothing without you. You keep those people fed and healthy. They don't need me, but it'll fall apart without you." She spoke before he could say anything. Daryl was silent for a few long seconds, seeming to process everything she had just said.

"Yer fucking stupid, ye know that?" The words definitely threw Carol back. "They don't need you Carol? Yer just speaking foolish lies, now. The group needs you. Ya may not go out 'n hunt, but you do just as much for those people as I do. You've changed, ya stepped up. Yer not a quiet little mouse hiding in the shadow of her husband or th' death of 'er daughter. Yer a strong woman, who takes care of all of 'em folks like they were yer own. I think what happened with Karen and David proves that."

"I'm a murderer, Daryl." He only shrugged.

"Maybe ya are a murderer, but who isn't nowadays? Rick's killed. Carl's killed. Michonne, Bob. It ain't far fer ya ta get yer ass kicked out, for trying ta protect their asses. No matter what ya think, the group needs ya there. I need ya there." She knew there was no point with arguing with him about this, anymore. He had come for her and this was how things had ended up. No changing it now. She tried digesting his words, but something was just picking at her. He said _he _needed her. If it was anyone, she needed him. He had taught her all she knew about shooting and survival. He had saved her ass countless times and he was the one who finally made it so she stepped up. It was hard to believe, but maybe they just needed each other.

Carol was about to say something when the door swung open and The Governor stepped in. He closed the door behind him and put his hands on his hips, studying the two of them. Daryl was still sitting in front of her and she still had the picture in her lap. That seemed to be the first thing he noticed and he walked over, picking it up and studying it with the one eye he had left. Carol noticed as she looked up at him that his facial hair was gone. His hair was tamed and he no longer had the dirt and dried on blood on his face. He must've cleaned up before seeing them. He must've thought there was no point in disguising himself now that they knew who he was. He stared at the picture for a long time with no emotion on his face before he chuckled slightly.

"I'm taking it this is you, Ms. Peletier."

"That ain't her fucking name." Daryl snarled as soon as the words left Philip's mouth. She silently thanked him, because her mouth was dry and she was in shock. How had he known her last name? She had never told it to him. As if reading her thoughts, The Governor spoke again, ignoring Daryl's words.

"You may be wondering how I knew your name, Carol. Well, even though you don't remember me, I worked with your father before all of this. I actually attended your wedding." Fake hurt spread across his face. "I'm saddened that you don't remember me, because I sure do remember you." He looked back down at the picture. "You didn't look this happy on your wedding day. Such a pity about your husband, really. Biters get him? Or was that all a lie, too?" He crumpled the picture into a ball and threw it to the other side of the room. This actually made Carol whimper, because that picture had quickly grown on her. It was something from the past, from when she was happy. Even if it was a naive happy. But Carol did remember him now. He had worked with her father at his construction company and she remembered always having the creeps when he was around. She remembered purposely avoiding him on her wedding day, even though Ed hadn't really let her speak to anyone. How she didn't realize who he was before, was beyond her. Maybe it was his elaborate disguise with the overgrown beard and hair.

The Governor took a seat in another wooden chair that he had moved from one of the corners of the room and set in front of her and Daryl.

"How's my old friend, Rick?" He asked, putting his hands behind his back and leaning back in the chair. Sarcasm was laced all around his words and Daryl only grunted in response. Carol didn't say anything. "From what I've heard, he isn't doing so well. Doesn't look like the prison is doing too great, anyway." Carol's eyes widened. "That sickness looks like it's something awful. Lots of people dying. Personally," He looked straight at Carol. "I think you did the right thing burning Karen and David. Was never fond of them, anyway." He shrugged and unlaced his hands from behind his head and set one on each knee. "Damn shame for Tyreese, though."

"How th' fuck do you know all of this?!" The Governor laughed as if Daryl had just told him a joke and leaned forward in his chair.

"Ever since your sheriff Rick has been letting just anyone in the prison, I've had eyes on the inside." He shrugged. "Daryl was actually the one who found him. I visit every now and then to get information, but lately he's been too busy with his crops and those fences to even notice. How's that all going, anyway?" He asked as if it was a sincere question but neither one of them answered. Carol was nearly in shock and Daryl just looked like he was pissed off. She went to set a comforting hand on his shoulder, but hissed in pain when she went to move her hand and the tight ropes rubbed up against her wrists. Philip smirked at the sound. "You know, it's not polite to lie, Carol. I knew who you were the moment you stepped into this room. I knew you were from the prison and from what I've heard from my informative, you and Mr. Dixon have quite the dance going on here. Caring and loving each other, but neither one willing to admit it. It's not hard to say, is it? Three simple words that scream out so much more feelings for the other person at the same time. He might've just recently gotten there, but it seems as if this has been going on for a very long time." He looked down at Daryl. "Why don't you just man up, son? If I had a woman like her around, I would've said it a very long time ago." His gaze went back to Carol. "A _very _long time ago." The look on his face and the tone of his voice made her feel sick as he said those words. A million things ran through her head. Who could his little spy be? There were so many people that had recently come to their prison. He said Daryl was the one who found him, but Daryl had found a lot of people.

_Think Carol, think! _

She mentally scolded herself and gnawed on her bottom lip as different people went through her head. She was processing his words and thinking of all the new people at the prison at the same time and she actually started to get a headache, but she didn't stop. That was until The Governor nudged Daryl to the side as if it were nothing and set one hand on each of her thighs, leaning in.

"What're you thinking about, Ms. Peletier?" She ignored the name at the end.

"Bob," She breathed out. "It's Bob." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. And the smirk on Philips face confirmed her thoughts.

"My, my. You are a lot smarter than I thought." His grip on her thighs tightened a bit, but she didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her squirm or flinch. Bob. She hadn't had a good feeling about the guy from the get-go. He was very vague about details from the groups he was with before, but it was obvious he was recovering from a disease. It was something Carol had seen in the beginning. Alcoholism. He looked uneasy a lot of the time and would even shake from withdrawals. She knew the symptoms all too well.

"It's fucking Bob?" Daryl asked, seemingly in disbelief. It hadn't shocked Carol, actually. She was waiting for a bombshell like this for a while.

"You've got a smart one here, Mr. Dixon." He squeezed her thighs before letting his grip go and standing up straight. "I promised him my finest whiskey and he foamed at the mouth like a dog. Foolish man. Easy to manipulate, to control. A promised bottle of whiskey and a shot of vodka was enough to convince him to be my spy inside the prison and possibly ruin every single one of your happy lives." He shrugged and started walking towards the door again.

"What're you going to do with us?" Carol squeaked and she immediately cursed under her breath with how frightened she sounded. The Governor stopped, his hand on the doorknob and his back turned to them. He didn't move for a few long moments before finally turning his head slightly to look at the both of them.

"We haven't reached an agreement, yet. We'll let you know shortly, Ms. Peletier."

"That ain't her name ya fucking asshole!" Daryl shouted as Philip only chuckled and opened the door, walking out. They heard the click of the door being locked from the outside once it was shut and Carol whimpered quietly at the small sound. She didn't want to sit in this stupid chair anymore. She knew there was no way for them to get out, but she just wanted to be closer to Daryl.

"Daryl," She breathed. "The rope tying me by my stomach to the chair, do you think you could untie the knot with your teeth?" She questioned. The rope wrapped around her wasn't as thick as the one around her wrist and it wasn't tied tightly like the ones binding her hands, either. He positioned himself on his knees and scooted around to the back of the chair. She felt light tugging on the rope wrapped around her stomach and shortly after, it's little grip that it did have, loosened and it fell onto her lap. Carol nearly squealed in joy and stood up. Her whole body was numb and she felt painful tingling spread through her body and she fell as soon as she tried walking.

"Carol!" Daryl exclaimed but Carol sat up quickly once she had fallen.

"I'm fine. Just, numb." She moved her shoulders in a circle forward and then in a circle backwards. She was just glad to be out of that goddamned chair. She just wished she could somehow get her shirt. Even though it wasn't the most appropriate thing to be thinking about right now, she had wanted to be with Daryl in an intimate way for a long time, but her being half naked right now was just doing more harm than good and she knew Daryl felt uncomfortable with her like that and there was nothing either of them could do about it. Her eyes went to the crumpled up picture in the far corner of the room and she scooted to it, embarrassingly enough on her butt, and positioned herself so it was behind her and she could grab it, even though her hands were bound. As much as she could, she unwrinkled the picture and scooted back to Daryl, the same way she had scooted her way over to the picture and turned so her back was to him at first, and gently placed the crinkled picture down before turning back around and positioning herself beside Daryl. She stared down at the picture before looking back at him and much to her surprise, he was looking at her, too.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess." She said quietly and he quickly shook his head.

"Ya didn' drag me into nothin'. I made a decision to come find ya and I was willin' ta do whatever it took." She smiled weakly but still couldn't help but feel like this was somehow her fault. Neither one spoke for a long time and she kept her gaze on the damaged picture until Daryl cleared his throat uncomfortably and shifted in his spot.

"Carol," His tone seemed much more serious than before and she felt herself getting nervous. "There's somethin' I gotta tell ya." He shifted once more and she was almost sure he would've been biting on his thumbnail if he could move his hand to his mouth.

"What is it, Daryl?" She tried making sure that her voice was comforting but even she could hear the nervousness in her voice. It wasn't often that Daryl got nervous and it was scaring her half to death. He looked up at her and as all the times before, his eyes were locked with hers, but this time it felt different. Carol couldn't explain it, but it just felt different. Perhaps more powerful than the other times his gaze was with hers.

"I know this might not be th' most appropriate time, but I might not have another chance ta tell ya." His voice was quiet, but strong. "Ya did what ya needed to with Karen and David. I couldn't look at ya any different and I couldn't be more proud of th' strong woman ya have grown to be." She opened her mouth to say something, but he kept talking. "Let me finish. Ya have been there fer me more than anyone else, ever. More than my own ma was. More than Merle. I knew wha' the group thought of me at first, tha' I was some fucking piece of redneck trash with 'n ugly temper, right?" She nodded sadly. "But unlike th' rest of 'em at first, ya gave me a chance. Ye helped me with my nasty rage and I never thanked ya for it. Never thanked ya for caring." He seemed to be building up to something big and Carol could feel her breath speeding up with nervousness. He inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly before saying his next three words.

"I love ya."

Carol should've been overjoyed. She should've been ecstatic that the man that she had loved probably since back at the farm when he had shown up shot, all for her little girl, loved her too. But she knew Daryl never used that term lightly and wouldn't say it unless he meant it. Had he said it now, because he thought there would never be another chance to say it? Maybe he was right. What were their odds, anyway? They were tied up in an office, the door locked and the only window in the room boarded up with three armed men, who she had a feeling had no intention of letting them go, standing outside. They could very well die in this room. Maybe in twenty minutes, maybe tomorrow. Once she realized she hadn't said anything back and was just staring at him with tense shoulders and wise eyes, she blew out a heavy breath, releasing the tension in her body.

"I love you too, Daryl." She said it quietly, but it was filled with more truth and passion than she had expected. Their eyes were still locked with each others and it was silent. It was so quiet that if it weren't for their nervous, ragged breaths, you could hear a pin drop. That's when she was thrown totally off guard when Daryl leaned in and kissed her. She knew Daryl had never been much for even touching, so him kissing her surprised her so much she felt jolts of excitement go through her. The kiss was gentle as her lips moved lightly against his but it didn't take long for it to get more intimate, more passionate. She was sure that if their hands weren't tied up, they'd be doing more than just kissing right now.

It was a kiss laced with desperation and want and need. It was a kiss that spoke words that he couldn't seem to tell her, even though she wasn't sure what he couldn't tell her since he had just told her he loved her. It was a kiss filled with regret and sorrow, but out of all those things, there was one thing that overthrew the rest of them.

It was a kiss full of love.

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**i hope some of you enjoyed this chapter. I'm kind of unsure about it, but the show must go on, right? Things are going to get more heated and action packed, so stick around. I'm not sure how many chapters this story is going to have, but there is still a lot that needs to be covered. I'm pretty sure one more chapter is going to be them stuck in that forsaken office, but I'm not sure. I might have a Rick P.O.V in the next chapter. Urg, so many ideas! Give me some reviews to wake up to :)**

**Thanks for reading :) You guys are awesome 3**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for not getting this up sooner! I hope you like it and I think I only have one or two chapters to this story left! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

They had been locked in that office for a long time.

Carol didn't know how long. There were no clocks or calendars in the small room and it felt like they had been in there forever. It hadn't been forever, but simply a few days. Martinez came in every few hours to take them to the bathroom and only one would have to take Carol, but all three of the men would have to escort Daryl to the bathroom, untie his hands, stand guard outside the door and tie him back up once he exited. It was a very small restroom, no mirror or anything. Food was scarce. Even though they were in a grocery store for goodness sake, they were barely fed. When they were, The Governor fed Carol as if she was a small child or something, leading the food to her mouth and watching as she ate. He simply threw Daryl's food at him and Daryl had to dip his head down to the ground to eat the food. It was usually something like crackers or dry cereal, never a real meal. They got water a few times, but that was about two days ago and Carol was close to famished. She felt thinner. She couldn't even begin to imagine what she looked like. And she was still half naked. No matter how much she would ask for her shirt back, they'd just laugh at her and leave the room. It seemed as if the more she asked, the more they found mocking her like they were was funny. She felt like stone, still sitting in the same spot beside Daryl. They hadn't kissed again, they barely even spoke since the kiss. But when they had kissed, it had lasted for a while, neither one of them wanting to pull away. Daryl was the one to finally pull his lips away from hers when the door opened. It had been The Governor, and even though he hadn't said anything, Carol knew he had seen them kissing.

That had been days ago and things seemed to be getting darker, dimmer between them. She thought maybe them telling each other how they really felt would put some kind of light on their drastic situation, but it seemed to be doing little to help. What if he only said it on impulse? What if he only told her he loved her because he was trying to lighten things and make her calm? She shook her head a little at those thoughts; she knew Daryl wouldn't have said he loved her unless he really meant it. He didn't use terms of endearment lightly, so her thinking he didn't mean it was ridiculous. The eerie silence between them continued and Carol took a deep breath before asking a question that both of them had been avoiding the past few days.

"What do you think they're going to do with us?" Her voice was quiet and it was scared. She wasn't putting on an act anymore, she was truly terrified. Fear was ached into her bones. She knew she had grown to be a new, strong woman, but now she felt as weak as she had in her days married to Ed. She hated herself to feel that way, but she was still only human. She was still capable of fear, but that didn't mean she wasn't strong. Carol was very strong; just not at this moment. When Daryl looked over at her, she saw a flicker of fear in his own eyes and that only rattled her nerves more. He didn't say anything for the longest time, only staring at her, neither one of them saying anything or breaking their gazes. After a while, Daryl let out a ragged breath and shrugged slightly.

"Kill us." The words were so flat and certain, but it didn't have an effect on her. She had stopped being afraid of dying a long time ago. Living in a world where everything surrounding you was sadness and death, it made you numb to the fear of dying. It wasn't dying that Carol was scared of, it was of what they might do to her or Daryl. It was her fault he was in this mess, and who knew what kind of sick, twisted, torturous plans they were coming up with while they kept them locked in this room. She'd rather die than see anything happen to Daryl. Dying protecting him would be the greatest honor she could think of, anyways. Once she realized she hadn't responded, she only nodded and looked away from him. She kind of wished that whatever they were going to do, they'd just do it and get it over with already.

Her eye was still tender, but she knew it was healing. Her eye was what had helped her keep track of the days, really. She didn't have a certain pinpoint, but she knew that they had been in the office for at least four or five days. That was how long it usually took her black eyes from before to start healing again, and it seemed as if they were still on that same track. Her eye didn't bother her, but her wrists sure did. The ropes had rub against her wrists so much that they bled. The skin became weak and exposed and the burning she felt with every slight move, made her hiss in pain every time. Her wrists were raw and throbbing and it didn't look like Daryl's were doing any better. They looked like they were worse than hers, actually. She hadn't really been trying to get her hands out of the rope, but Daryl had. He had been rubbing his wrists against the rope, yanking his hands, willing his hands to get free, but all it did was hurt him and cause his wrists to be raw, too. They were bleeding much more than Carol's, but he didn't utter a single sound of pain. There was a single thing Carol was grateful for, though. She was grateful that through all this, she had him here to comfort her. Even though he never said anything to her, his presence was enough to sooth her just a little.

They continued sitting in silence; waiting. Waiting for one of those bastards to walk in the door and tell them what they were going to do with them. She knew it was unlikely that was going to happen, though. This was their little game; making them slowly starve and sit in this room until they went stir crazy and lost it, or something. Carol had been trying not to focus on how small the room was, but it was becoming harder with every moment longer they were sitting in there. The walls seemed to be closing in around them, and she felt her breathing increasing in speed and her eyes widening.

"Carol?" Daryl's raspy voice questioned, tilting his head as he studied her, but she couldn't pay attention to him. He would only make it worse. She was trying to calm herself down to avoid herself from having a full blown panic attack. _Inhale, exhale. _She told herself mentally. _Inhale, Carol. Exhale. _That's what she did, inhaling sharply and exhaling slowly, keeping her gaze off of Daryl. "Carol?!" He shouted again and this time she came undone.

"It's my fault we're in here, that you're in here." Tears were escaping her eyes without her even realizing. "They're going to hurt you and the group is going to fall apart without you and it's all my fault." Her words were coming out in a jumbled rush and she felt herself shaking. She hadn't had a panic attack in a long time and it felt as if this was helping her release stressed and she didn't care how she was looking in front of Daryl, right now. "It's all my fault." She repeated quietly and she tasted her salty tears as they ran down her cheeks and since she couldn't wipe them away, they rolled down to her lips and her chin. She sniffled and blew out a heavy, shaky breath before finally looking over at Daryl, once he said her name again. She barely had time to look at him before he pressed his lips against hers lightly. She didn't hesitate for a second as she moved her lips desperately against his and neither of them pulled away, as if this was the only thing keeping them together.

* * *

He couldn't stand seeing her crying like that; saying it was all her fault. He just couldn't.

Daryl watched as Carol had some sort of stress scene right beside him and he didn't know what to say to help her. She kept rambling on about how they were going to hurt him and how it was all her fault and how the group was going to fall apart without him and he couldn't stand listening to her, but he had no clue what to say to comfort her, so he just kissed her. It was much different from their kiss a few days ago. Their kiss a few days ago was a heated, spur of the moment kind of thing but this one was slow, light and desperate. He couldn't speak the words to comfort her and calm her down and he was more a man of action anyway, so he just did the first thing he thought of; kissing her. She wasn't the only one who was pouring desperation into the kiss, it was him, too. He felt as if she was drifting away from him and he couldn't let her get away and it felt as if this kiss was all that would keep them together. He wanted her to know that he did love her and that it wasn't her fault what was happening right now, but he just couldn't figure out how to say those words right now, so he poured them into that kiss and hoped she was able to know what he was saying, without him actually saying it. He didn't pull away only until he heard footsteps approaching the door and The Governor walked in, smirk on his face and hands on his hips.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Dixon and Ms. Peletier."

* * *

Rick stared at the end of the wooden crosses in the field.

There were a lot of new ones. A lot. Most of the sick ones were getting better because of those meds that Daryl, Mich, Bob and Tyreese had brought back, but there were still some sick ones and food was already running scarce. Daryl had always gone hunting, almost on the daily. Rick was sure that if he hadn't gone out, that's where the hunter would be now. Running a hand through his sweaty hair, there were two particular graves that the former sheriffs gaze landed on.

Karen and David.

Carol might've thought she was doing the right thing when she killed them, but she wasn't. What if it had been Glenn or him for example? Would she have even hesitated? Would she have killed them and burned their bodies, too? That wasn't the Carol he knew and that Carol was a threat to him and his children. He couldn't have her around Carl and Judith, when he had worked through everything to protect them. He was blankly staring at the graves when he heard rustling behind him. He looked down beside him and saw his own sheriffs hat on top of his sons head. Carl was staring at the graves, silently. Nothing was said for a long time and Carl was the first one to break the silence.

"You were wrong." Rick looked back at his son, who was still staring at the graves.

"What?"

"You were wrong." He repeated, now looking up at his father. "Kicking Carol out; you were wrong, dad." Rick sighed and ran one hand down his face and scratched at his scruff a bit.

"I'm not having this conversation with you, Carl. You're a kid, not an adult. Go play with Lizzie or something." Carl didn't listen.

"It's kind of hard, when all her and her sister are doing are sulking about the fact that you kicked out the one person who _really _cared and looked out for them!" His voice was raising. "Carol has been part of this group since the beginning, and now that you kicked her out, over a new group member, we lost two of the closest people to this group! Carol's gone and Daryl left to find her and you know he wont come back without her." His son looked truly, very angry and Rick found himself feeling bad. "What happened to you not making decisions for the rest of us? What happened to taking a break?"

"I can't just sit back and play farmer, son." Carl shook his head and refused to look at his father.

"Carol did what she needed to." Carl gave him a look of finality before walking away and Rick watched his son walk back up to the prison, as he stayed at the foot of the graves and let his sons words sink in. He turned back to face the graves, his eyes zeroing in on two certain graves, again.

* * *

"Don' fucking touch me." Daryl snarled and yanked his arm out of Shumperts grasp.

The black man reacted by punching Daryl and he tasted blood at the corner of his lip, but ignored it. He growled but didn't make a move. His hands were still bound behind him, so it wasn't like he could punch the man back. The had finally taken him and Carol out of that office and had given Carol her shirt back and now they were walking through the woods, Carol and Daryl walking in front of the three men that had kept them captive for what was close to a week. Shumpert decided to yank Daryl back by the arm and that's how the whole scene started. The Governor stepped up and put his hands up to prevent the scene progressing more.

"That's enough men." He glared and Daryl huffed and turned back around so he was standing beside Carol, again. She was scared, but she was trying to not let it show. Daryl knew, though. He knew she was still scared cause, hell, even he was a little scared. They didn't tell them a single thing about where they were going and now all of them were walking through the woods. Carol was thin; very thin. She looked thinner than usual. Her arms were small, her rib bones were visible under her skin and her eyes were sunken in a bit. She looked half dead. She looked like the slightest touch and she would break. He kept eying her, but she didn't look at him at all, she kept her gaze straight ahead.

"This way." Daryl heard The Governors voice speak and they both looked at him, as he was pointing and telling them to take a right. They obeyed and all of them continued trudging through the woods until they ended up in the town where Carol and Rick had gone on that run. When they were standing in the middle of the road, The Governor instructed them to stop. They both did, and instead of turning to face the men behind them, they turned to face each other. It was the first time she looked at him since they were taken out of the office but now he wished that she had never looked at him. Her face had no emotion. Her eyes were blank and dry, It looked like she was accepting of whatever was going to happen to them and it scared him. It scared him that there was no emotion on her face, it had turned to stone. When Philip cleared his throat, she turned and looked at him, but Daryl's attention stayed on her, even as The Governor started to talk.

"Back where it all started, huh?" He chuckled, standing in between his two handymen. "Back where Rick banished you and where he started our little journey. And now," He took his gun out of his holster. "Where we're going to end it." Daryl heard what he had said, but he didn't acknowledge it at all. He was still focused on Carol and her reaction was basically the same as his; nothing. It looked like maybe that was just what she wanted to have happen now and she was accepting. He gulped a bit as he stood right next to her and faced The Governor and his men, now. As much as he could, Daryl extended his hand out to Carol, trying to hold her hand but knowing there was no way he could reach. He ended up holding onto her shirt sleeve and she looked over at him and actually smiling weakly before they both looked at the man who was about to end their lives.

After everything; after the quarry, after the highway, after the farm, after the barn, after the herd, after being on the road for months, after finding the prison and claiming it theirs, after being ambushed, after Carol getting lost in the tombs, after the sickness, they were going to die at the hands of a man that Daryl hated more than anything. He didn't even want to get free, he just wanted them to let Carol free. Philip raised his gun up at Carol's head first and Daryl couldn't help the lump forming in his throat. Of course they were going to kill her first and right in front of him, to make him feel even worse. He pulled on her sleeve and she looked over at him.

"Jus' look at me, a'ight?" He whispered and she nodded, her eyes not leaving his. He saw Philip put the barrel of the gun on the side of her head, but he didn't move his eyes from hers. Her eyes glazed over with tears, but she didn't leave his eyes. "I love ya." He whispered, his quiet voice breaking through the silence.

"I love you, too." Her voice was even quieter than his, but it rang through his ears like a scream. The barrel of the gun cocked and she closed her eyes now. He closed his eyes, also. This was it. Carol was about to be shot down right in front of him. It was quiet; all you could hear was his ragged breathing and her calm breathing. A gunshot rang through the air and Daryl felt his heart physically ache, closing his eyes tighter as tears threatened to spill over. He thought Carol was dead, until he realized he still had his grip on her shirt and she hadn't fallen. He then heard the clatter of a gun on the ground and quickly opened his eyes.

There was Carol, her eyes open and her expression as shocked as his. He looked beside her and pulled him close to him when he saw The Governor's body on the ground right next to her; a single bullet wound in his head. He looked up at Martinez and Shumpert and he saw the mexican lowering his gun. Had he really just shot him? Daryl looked back down at Philip's dead body again, just to make sure this was real. Daryl looked back at the men, holding Carol close to him. That son of a bitch Shumpert was still holding his crossbow and took a few steps towards them. Daryl thought the man was going to shoot them with the way he carried the crossbow, and was very surprised when the man actually took a knife and cut the rope from bound around their hands and Daryl moved his wrist freely, letting the blood flow back in them. Shumpert then handed him his crossbow and Daryl gave him a slight nod as he took it.

"We didn't want to do anything we did, we were under orders of that bastard." He motioned his gun towards the body. "We're sorry. You two be safe, now." He turned to walk back in the direction they had all come from and Shumpert followed slowly after. Daryl had the thought to maybe shoot an arrow in their ass, but when he looked at Carol she must've known exactly what he was thinking because she smirked and shook her head. He smiled weakly and looked down at her wrists. They were bleeding and cut, but they were free now.

"C'mon." He gently grabbed one of her hands with his free one and started pulling her in the direction of the ice cream parlor.

"Where are we going?" She questioned, once they had been walking for a few minutes. He smirked slightly, still leading her.

"We're gonna take ya back to that prison, but first, I needa get my damn bike."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! New chapter soon (:**


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